Garmin Enduro 3 In-Depth Review: The Cheaper/Better Fenix 8 Solar?

The Enduro 3 is here, and seemingly has one mission, and one mission only: Go big on battery. Nearly triple their competitors, upwards of 320 hours in a regular GPS configuration.

At least, in theory anyway. Fear not, I’ve been testing that.

The Enduro 3 essentially takes the existing Fenix 7X Pro (including that ECG-capable sensor), and merges it with the software features and user interface of the new Fenix 8 Solar. And atop that (literally), they revamped the solar display to be 120% more powerful, and improved the display clarity by concurrently removing the majority of the solar panel surface. Don’t worry, I know that sounds confusing, I’ll explain more below.

The result is a watch I’ve been beating to death over the last little while, across epic hikes in the Pyrenees, rides, runs, swims, and more. All in the pursuit of, mostly, figuring out just how far I can push the battery life. Albeit, I admit that unlike my Enduro 2 test, I wasn’t able to allocate however much time was required to hike until the battery died. Not sure my kids would want me gone for a month.

#Enduro3 #GarminEnduro3

[ChaseTheSummit]

I love that the new Solar Ring is black and not that copper/red color. Really helps the whole look of the watch. Great work Ray! 🔥🍕

[pietrosanchirico]

That's definitely the best product that Garmin presented this year....something new in performance at a decent price...

[ActiveIdeas]

The Enduro 3 is Garmin’s 2024 win 🔥 Fantastic price, fantastic features, great weight, unbelievable battery and looks so much less bulky of a design 😍 Nice video ray. I’m sold!

[Wulfarwacht]

Titanium, sapphire, only 63 grams, MIP display, solar charging, maps and great battery, definitely the winner of the bunch for me! Price is still a bit high imo, but not as crazy as some of the Fenix 8 models that don’t even feature sapphire glass.

[Fedelia]

That is the real Fenix 8. We now just need the 43+47mm versions. I unfortunately don't have a tree trunk wrist, more like tooth pick.

[chrisbradshaw]

I was on the fence with the Fenix 8 due to cost. No arguments on how spectacular it is. However, you literally convinced me to purchase the Enduro 3 with your review. Thanks for your time and effort!

[PackBackerTom]

Definitely the best outdoor/sport watch on the market right now.

I have Instinct 2X and I'm super happy with it, easy to use and lightweight, but will be looking for a sale prices for this fantastic Enduro 3.

Main reasons are detailed mapping and MP3 in watch so I can listen to music without taking my phone.

Thanks for the review! 👍

[robhunt]

Very useful. I know it won't happen but imagine this watch in 43/44mm.

[marcproudfoot]

DC Rainmaker: "a normal sunny day"
Us in Scotland: ????

[eolle]

Thank you for the reviews on the new Garmin watches! I am considering updating a 5x and this content is priceless! I now need to research/compare the competition. Keep up the excellent reviews!

[baaboo]

Great reviews. The only watch reviews I look forward to. Now we need to get the instinct 3.

[Checque]

It’s absolutely incredible how amazing your relationships are with all of the tech companies. They trust you so damn much that they alter products based off of your feedback. Huge fan bud!

[adhamdavlatov]

glad i held off on pulling the trigger on fenix8 solar51. after going through your reviews just ordered eduro3. i think this will be a nice upgrade from my beloved garmin945 which is missing HRV. thank you for the detailed review. well done.

[foetor]

Thank you! For me the best Garmin watch 2024. Greetings from Germany 🇩🇪

[MrMichaelfalk]

No doubt - if I upgrade my 6X sapphire - it will be to this one... It is for me, what a fenix 8 should be...

[peter]

Thank you for reviewing this. I liked that you went over the user interface as an MIP watch (so that us 7/7pro Fenix owners see the diff). You mentioned that there’s no way they can bring some of the UI stuff to the 2022 and 2023 models? How about future firmware updates (let’s say a random activity profile in the future)

[guzsteve]

This is a great review Ray! Thanks to you and Des!

[aphinion]

I finally found my smartwatch. Thanks for this review!!!

[aexetan]

Weight and cost savings are achieved through its plastic rear cover, which replaces the titanium of previous models. Additionally, the front bezel is narrower compared to the same sized (51mm) Fenix 8 Solar, allowing for the larger solar ring while further reducing both weight and cost.

[Semeyaza]

This is more like it. Nice sensors, good MiP screen, terrific battery and no mic/speaker to smartwatchify it.

Just a very complete sport watch. When my 6X will be spent I'll look for the Enduro line to be its successor.